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Fwiw, I find the forum a bit clunky to use, especially posting pictures, it's drives me daft! Dizzy's right though, that it's strength is preserving many of the conversations we've had before (I'm thinking specifically of the History section) in a way that facebook can't. If you do decide to close Gary, is there a way of closing it to posts but having it open to view, preserved in aspic as it were so info is at least still available?

Btw, I love Algy's 'stringent cod of behaviour' back on page 1! I may have to introduce it at home to keep the kids in line!

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I'm a mod on a number of other - far larger - forums and know that when every topic descends into the same blinkered, polarised views you know you've just got a forum frequented by people who are just in love with the sound of their own voices. It's time to either wield the axe a ban a load of users, or kill the thing off altogether.

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Most of the forums I mod are based around DIY and home improvements. The experts on them go on to freely offer advice to the general public and generally be helpful without expecting kudos or reward. (Thanks and feedback are always appreciated though).

On one forum we have about a dozen mods looking after over thirty thousand registered users with probably 500+ regular contributors, so the opinionated fools get either diluted or drowned out.

We have our general discussion areas, but because we're national - and often international - we don't tend to get bogged down in local partisan political spats. And when we do have a "frank exchange of views" on a national subject like immigration, terrorism, or the EU, at least we have a degree of mutual respect based upon the expert advice we have all freely given to others.

We as mods are also plenty willing to issue warnings, suspensions or bans to users who consistently drag threads off topic, abuse others, or state untruths as facts. As the site owner often says, "You may think this is a democracy, and we here are easy going enough that it often appears to be. But as long as I'm paying for the server space, in the final analysis - my word is law!"

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"Ah, I wondered how long it would be before one of our resident keyboard warriors with nothing useful to contribute decided that he hadn't posted often enough in the past 10 minutes!

If this forum were to close then maybe one or two individuals would have to actually get a life!"

PJ replied

"Like telling folk how to change a lightbulb on a diy forum, you know how to live. Do you wear a special members anorak when posting? Regarding your rant and its reference to untruths, were the main roads in Warrington gritted over the cold spell? And while we are at it do you still consider infecting the whole of the Middle East with Ebola a good idea? And if so is that what you qualify as a useful contribution?"

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Perhaps a slimmed down version could exist with just a few main forum headers.

1 politics/national issues/local issues/ backstabbing and infighting

2 general chat and the rest

3 irrelevant rants and other topics nobody is really interested in but will post on occasionally just to get a response.

4 all sport local and national.

As a long term member i do read the posts on here daily. do not always contribute but come on here twice a day and will help people with inquiries or odd bits of knowledge( or even lack thereof) I would miss the forum if it went (and before anyboy says to me get a life I am already busy enough to be living three lives at present.) but given the recent activity it would seem that we have a few people who post and that is it. the rest just come on read and have a laugh at the infighting and points scoring between the ones who do post.

Just a little comment. how can yopu compare a forum on diy to a general forum. people on a diy forum go there specifically to get help or give help.

On here it is or was to chat about things of interest and maybe help to understand what is going on in the local area with posts about the local area which are/were of interest to people who at one time lived in the area and now live across the world or have some tie with warrington.

If Inky really wants to see the end of this forum all he has to do is remove it from his bookmarks and never darken our doors again. Just because he doesn't think it's worth while doesn't mean it has to end does it?

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I'm still trying to figure out what road gritting and the likes have to do with the original question ie 'should the forum stay or go' and why some people are now arguing and being somewhat rude to each other.

Maybe some people are just trying to prove a point or something ? Just off to find that plug now...............

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It doesn't have to end Asp but for sure if nothing changes it will eventually die a death. There's just too much arguing and name calling here and it's driving people away. Gary's already indicated he's not happy with the situation so leaving things as they are won't solve anything.

It reminds me of a pub where a small group of loud mouths have driven all the regulars away and the landlords thinking of calling it a day.

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No excuse bill, absolutely stuffed with this lurgi bug that's doing the rounds and it's really bung my asthma up good style, I need to get rid and hopefully see my doc tomorrow and persuade him to give me anti biotics, so I will get back to you when it's cleared off!.

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I am dying to know how you can save thousands of pounds on trades peoples costs.... Unless you are building a house

I use a painter that works out cheaper than it would cost me to do the job because he is a tradesperson and knows how to do the job properly and quickly...

D. I. WHY?

We had a single parent on just after Christmas who had no heating or hot water. They'd called out British Gas since they had been paying for boiler cover, but BG declared the boiler obsolete and beyond economic repair and just offered a £500 discount against a new boiler install quoted at over £3500.

Within a couple of hours a couple of the experts had diagnosed the problem and provided details of the required part - including finding a supplier who had it in stock. A local RGI then fitted the part and fixed the problem.

Total cost £75 including the part.

Needless to say, the user has cancelled their boiler cover - saving them around £30 a month - and now has a local RGI who they can trust and can call on in future.

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Yes I do Obs but where the bloody hell do I start I can edit people's posts, give warnings, make it so that specific peoples posts have to be approved before they appear and even ban people too.... such powers for a girlie eh

Problem is, say on this topic, if I delete one particular post and someone has replied making reference to it then I'd have to delete that one too or edit out the bit that refers to it.

It can all get a bit messy and of course in the past when I have had reason to deleted or edit posts it often results in people thinking they are having their 'freedom of speech' stifled ... not that being moaned would ever stop me deleting or editing of course if it was absolutely necessary though.

I do actually find it very frustrating having to read all the petty squabbling too as I'm sure everyone does but I try my best not to get too involved as at the end of the day everyone on here is an adult and most are long standing members so SHOULD know how to behave and/or sort their differences out and also where to draw the line themselves really.

Most things used to blow over pretty quick and be forgotten about but I've noticed recently that it's taking longer so maybe it's all my fault and I should go back to being tougher rather than thinking of myself as just another forum member... which is what I am really and have always been.